Question Question about the fading process after almost 25 yrs- EBMM EVH

[JIMJAM1597]

I have built up and continue adding to a collection of the EBMM EVH Sigs. Many are mint and are the colors notorious for fading. The neon pinks,blues etc.... I have always kept them in their cases but with a new "man cave" I would like to display them on the walls along with my others.
Question- I understand that if you take anything into direct sunlight its going to fade. My question is has whatever fading process that was going to happen already taken place after 25 yrs or so? Or If put into a room using normal ceiling lights with one bay window going to "begin" the fading process which never began maybe because they were "case queens"? Thanks, Jim

 

[Jamie M]

My EVH is 24 years old and still looks new, no fading at all.

 

[fbecir]

My EVH is 24 years old and still looks new, no fading at all.

Jamie, you live in England and everybody knows that the sun doesn't shine in England ... it's wintertime even during summer.
Perfect for preserving our beloved guitars but no so cool during vacation (that's why there are so many Englishmen in Spain or in the south of France)

 

[Astrofreq]

Don't move to New Mexico if you don't like an overabundance or powerful sunlight.

 

[Norrin Radd]

I think unless you display them behind UV blocking glass, they will start to fade. sorry.

 

[JIMJAM1597]

I am no quantum physicist, just a former lead guitarist but hoping whatever chemical process was taking place has done its thing. I understand it was a lack of uv blocker that led to the issue so it makes sense its still not there and any uv would suck the color right out. Oh well, I don't believe in keeping guitars under beds, never bought for investment so let nature run its course. I would post 2 pictures of 2 pink, one that neon hot pink, the other a salmon pink to show the contrast but we have all seen it. Some like the "faded" subdued pink more than the hot pink. Thanks all.

 

[DrKev]

I am a quantum physicist...

...kind of...

...OK, used to be, but still...

There is no one answer here. How much fading depends on the amount of light present and over what period of time. That's the obvious part. The less obvious part is that different colors are thanks to different molecules. Different molecules will fade at different rates and so guitars with different dyes will also fade at different rates. Some may not fade appreciably at all, and as we all know, some have faded almost completely. Even two different dyes of a similar color can fade at very different rates. For some colors, it's not just UV that will cause fading but even blue light could contribute to it too. (The guitars that have faded appreciably did not spend their entire life outdoors in bright sunshine, right?)

My question is has whatever fading process that was going to happen already taken place after 25 yrs or so?

If a particular color didn't fade in the last 25 years under normal lighting conditions it probably won't now. However, 25 years in the darkness of a case almost certainly does not protect a guitar from future fading.

So what to do? Two choices...

1) Case queen everything. It's the only way to avoid any fading at all.
2) If you are willing to accept that some fading will occur in some guitars and are still happy to display them you can minimize fading somewhat by drawing the curtains when not using the room. If you can identify which color guitars will fade the fastest, place those furthest away from the windows.

Assuming you switch off lights when you leave the room I don't think the indoor lighting is as much of a concern as daylight because of the reduced exposure time and intensity compared to daylight. To err on the safe side I would favor warm lighting (i.e. low color temperature) with a high CRI, such as the good old-fashioned incandescent bulbs, tungsten halogen bulbs and some modern LEDs, and avoid fluorescent sources, (e.g. long fluorescent tubes or CFLs, because they do produce UV light as part of how they work).

Of course even that won't prevent fading, but slow it down somewhat.

(A huge part of PhD was Organic photophysics, I was specifically interested in how carbon-based dye molecules absorb and emit light. Thanks for the trip down memory lane!)

 

[JIMJAM1597]

Wow Thanks that was well explained and at a level most can understand. Now that we have that out of the way I was curious about the delayed choice quantum eraser and how its tied into our perceived reality. In one reality, yesterday I bought another pink EBMM but in another time line I didn't. In one I dropped it and broke the head stock and in another.....
I figure if we don't OBSERVE the guitar "case queen" then its both fading and not fading, there but not here. Wan't know till you open the case and make a observation. I did observe my amount of virtual currency backed by nothing in my bank account did decline. No Einstein needed for that its called G A S. Now I have GAS for a EBMM of the blue color spectrum and willing to exchange some more virtual bank digits for one.

Pic of a case study of 2 pinks made iirc close together.

 

[Jamie M]

Jamie, you live in England and everybody knows that the sun doesn't shine in England ... it's wintertime even during summer.
Perfect for preserving our beloved guitars but no so cool during vacation (that's why there are so many Englishmen in Spain or in the south of France)

Ha ha. So true.

 

[Mick]

Ok but now let´s talk about the tweed Fender amp of yours....

 

[JIMJAM1597]

If talking about me , you Sir have a great eye. I rotated the pic/saved but this site still decided to show the pic sideways??
But yes, I also collect vintage amps and this is a gem. I am fortunate to be known in my area and older musicians often come to me with rare vintage. This is a original 58 tweed 5e3 narrow panel. Mike Clark who owns Clark Amplification here in Columbia SC and from what I understand makes some of the best Fender tweed clones modeled his Beaufort clone after this very amp. So if you visit his site, his Beaufort amp's sound files are are what this amps sounds like since it is. He also has done all of the maintenance and did all the modernization to make it safe. We did take out the stock speaker and put a Celestion blue. Its one of the few amps that other than maybe a ts9 on occasion, play straight. Very powerful,punchy and rings like a bell. I believe in PLAYING the vintage gear not to be used as conversation pieces and this amp was set up by him to enjoy and to be played yet retain it's original mojo/tone as much as possible.

Also those with a good eye "pic 2, back" will spot the insanely overpriced 1 of 40 iirc Fender Blues Jr 80 proof made from bourbon barrels. I ran into a Fender rep and my weakness for old,pirate owned amps with cig burns,beer rings etc led to a short negotiation in price and a lapse in common sense. That said its incredible to look at and actually sounds great but nothing compared to the real deal 50s era tweeds. "4th pic is the 80 proof top"

Going OT and not sure of how strict these forums are but its Sat morn, having my coffee and chatting.

 

[fbecir]

Beautiful amps

I have also a weak spot for tweed amps. But gems like yours are really hard to find here in France (and of course the price is crazy).

 

[JIMJAM1597]

I paid top $$ for the 58 because I knew the well documented history and it was serviced and made into a daily player by one of the most respected amp builders in the biz. This will make you feel ill. Back in the late 70s when I was a teen in my 1st couple bands, I use to buy the 50s Tweeds and later 60s amps for less than $50. One pawn shop gave me a 59. I am also worst than a women around shoes when it comes to pedals and have enough EHX effects from the 70s/80s to open a store. My fav were the Proco Rat's which I still own some of the originals.

 

[or8ital]

Why not a UV film on any window providing sunlight to the area the guitars are? I believe they have clear UV films for windows.

 

[JIMJAM1597]

My man cave is over the garage and has one window that I pull the curtain on at night thats also when 99.9% of the time I make noise. Going to eventually sell the other pink and probably just display 2 other EBMMs, keep the others cased. The Gibs/Fend/EVHs etc actually look better faded. Some of the most expensive guitars I have I paid 2x as much to actually HAVE them faded,scratched up,rusted....
Short of sitting it in direct sunlight, I will be long gone by the time pinkie #3 fades. Probably should be more worried about the effects of radiation.

 

[KasperFauerby]

... but what's the point of having a guitar if it's always in a case???

I say, so what if they fade a bit. Guitars are just a tool to make music. They should be played - scratches, dings and other wear be damned. Just keeping them hidden away is a bit of a shame, considering all the love and hours that went into making them in the first place. All just IMO of course

 

[Tollywood]

Short of sitting it in direct sunlight, I will be long gone by the time pinkie #3 fades.

Hello Jim. I didn't miss the most important part of your post: three pinks?!? You, Sir, are my hero.